Cigar lighter mechanism



Jan. 1, 1935. L. v. ARoNsoN 1,985,384 I GIGAR LIGHTER MECHANISM Fi 1ed March 8, `1934' Jelly 4? 17a/17 Patented Jan. l, 1935 vmiseria clean pleurait MEcnANrsM Louis V. Aronson, Newark, N. J., assigner to Art Metal Works, Inc., Newark, N. J.,.a corporation of New Jersey Application March 8, 1934, Serial No. 714,604

s claims.

This invention relates to cigar lighter mecha-` nisms having operating parts of the same general type vas disclosed in my prior Patent No.

1,673,727 dated June 12, 1928 (now Reissue Patent No. 19,023, December 12, 1933) but involving a reorganization of the operating parts of such a lighter in order to secure, under 'certain conditions of use, advantages in respect to compactness and relativedisposition of operating parts.

In the accompanying drawing which shows a preferred embodiment of my invention, which however is to be regarded as merely illustrative thereof- Fig. 1 is a side view of a cigar lighter mechanism constructed in accordance with the invention and shown as applied to a combined cigarette case and lighter, the upper part of the figure being cut away to expose the interior parts.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the construction shown in Fig. 1.

The invention is illustrated as applied to a combined cigarette case and cigar lighter having a receptacle 1, the lower portion of which is adapted to be received within the hand of the user, and the lower portion of thisv receptacle 1 also may be employed as a container for cigarettes. At one upper corner of the receptacle 1 a iinger piece 2 which operates the lighter mechanism, is located, and a fuel compartment 3 occupies the space in the upper portion of receptacle 1 which is opposite finger piece 2, the finger piece 2 and fuel compartment 3 being separated from the remainder of receptacle 1, in the illustrated vform of the invention, by a partition 4.

In my prior patent above mentioned the mainV operating parts of the lighter mechanism, i. e. the wick and its cooperating snuffer cap, the abradant wheel and the cooperating linger piece are disposed in a row on the top of the receptacle which carries them. In accordance with the present invention the wick -5 which extends through wall 6 of fuel compartment 3, is located above the abradant wheel 7, which latter is at one side of the finger piece 2 thereby locating the lighter mechanism in what may be termed an approximate right-angled niche in the receptacle 1 freeing the space to the left of the abradant Wheel 7 (as shown in Fig. 1) from wick 5 and its cooperating snuffer member 6, whereby this `space may be utilized for fuel storage purposes, and less of the space above partition 4 taken up by the lighter mechanism. This disposition of parts also locates the Wick 5 at the top of the assemblage, an advantageous and accessible po- (Cl. (7W-7.1)

sition, and also locates the pyrophoric metal piece 8 to the left of abradant wheel 7 instead of underneath the same, whereby the tube 9 containing the pressure spring 10 for the pyrophoric metal, may be easily led out of the left hand side (as shown in Fig. l) of compartment 3 instead of the bottom thereof. This makes the adjusting screw 11 for spring 10 more accessible, and the filling opening plug 12 for compartment 3 may also be located if desired in the left hand end wall of compartment 3 near adjusting screw 11. This plug 12 is shown as including a small removable cartridge for carrying extra pieces of sparking metal, as is Well known in the art.

In order further to secure' compactness, the finger piece 2 may be provided with a recess 13 therein into which the snuier member 6 swings when the linger piece 2 is actuated to remove the snuifer from the wick. It will be understood that l suitable mechanism is provided to remove the` snuler 6 from wick 5 and turn sparking wheel 7 to project sparks onto the wick, when the finger piece 2 is operated, suitable mechanical connections for so doing being well known in the art. In the illustrated form of the invention the iinger piece 2 slides horizontally between wings 14 extending from receptacle 1 and fuel compartment 3, pins 15 extending between the wings 14 being provided to work in slots 16 in nger piece 2, and the latter having a heel 17 against which a spring 18 presses to urge the linger piece toward idle position.

As shown the abradant wheel 7 is journaled freely upon a shaft 19 which also pivotally carries ears'20 extending from the snuifer member 6, and a pair of gear wheels 21 (Fig. 2) fastened to the ears 20 of the snuifer are engaged by rack teeth 22 on the heel 17 of the iinger piece. In the illustrated form of the invention, this heel 17 is in the form of a U-shaped strap having its base supporting a pin 17a engaging spring 18, and its legs joined to finger piece 2.

A suitable pawl member 23 is shown in Fig. 1 as associated with the snuier 6, and may' be understood as cooperating with suitable ratchet teeth (not illustrated) moving with the sparking wheel 7, but the same will not be described or illustrated in detail since various pawl and ratchet connections for such purposes are well known in the art. i With the receptacle 1 nested in the users hand, the finger piece 2 may be pushed inwardly to remove snuffer 6 from the wick and project sparks onto the wick, and when pressure on the 'finger piece 2 is released, the spring 1'8 restores 55 it to the idle position shown in Fig. 1, and also restores the snuiier 6 to the wick sealing position shown in Fig. 1, the sparking wheel 'I remaining idle during this last mentioned return movement of the snuifer and finger piece. The entire device, including the cigarette compartment if desired, may be readily made of a size to be accommodated in the user's pocket.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been described it should be understood that many changes may be made without departing from its main features, within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A lighter comprising a receptacle having a transversely movable finger piece located at one upper corner thereof, a fuel compartment occupying the space in the upper portion of said receptacle opposite said finger piece, the lower portion of the receptacle being shaped to be received within the hand of the user, a wick extending from the upper portion of said fuel compartment toward the finger piece, an abradant wheel having its axis beneath said wick, a sparking metal piece located at one side of said Wheel underneath the wick, a snuifer member adapted to seal the wick and movable toward the finger piece to expose the wick, said finger piece having a recess adapted to receive the snuifer member when the wick is so exposed, and means whereby upon inward movement of said finger piece, said snuifer is moved to expose the wick and said abradant wheel is actuated to project sparks onto the wick.

2. A lighter, comprising a receptacle having a reciprocable finger piece located at one upper corner thereof, a fuel compartment occupying the space in the upper portion of said receptacle opposite said finger piece, the lower portion of the receptacle being shaped to be received within the hand of the user, a wick extending from the upper portion of said fuel compartment toward the finger piece, an abradant wheel having its axis located beneath said wick, a sparking metal piece located at one side of said wheel underneath the wick, a snuifer member adapted to seal the wick and pivoted at a point beneath the level of the wick, and means whereby upon movement of said linger piece, said snuffer is swung downwardly to expose the wick and said abradant wheel is actuated to project sparks upwardly onto the wick.

3. A lighter comprising a receptacle having a niche in the upper wall thereof and a fuel compartment occupying the upper interior space in said receptacle which is adjacent said niche, the

lower portion of said receptacle being shaped to be received within the hand of the user, al wick extending from the upper portion of said fuel compartment into the exterior space at the upper part of said niche, an abradant wheel having its axis located in said niche beneath said wick, a sparking metal piece located at one side of said wheelv underneath the wick, a reciprocable nger piece located on the other side of said abradant Wheel from the sparking metal piece and adjacent one upper corner of the receptacle, a snuifer member adapted to seal the wick and movable toward the nger piece to expose the wick. and means whereby upon movement of said nger piece said snuifer is moved to expose the wick and said abradant wheel is actuated to p'roJ ject sparks upwardly onto the wick.

4. A lighter comprising a receptacle having a niche in the upper wall thereof and a fuel compartment occupying the upper interior space in said receptacle which is adjacent said niche, the lower portion of said receptacle being shaped to be received within the hand of the user, a wick extending from the upper portion of said fuel compartment into the exterior space at the upper part of said niche, an abradant wheel having its axis located in said niche beneath said wick, a sparking metal piece located at one side of said wheel underneath the wick, a transversely movable finger piece located on the opposite side of said Wheel from said sparking metal piece, a snuifer member adapted to seal said wick and pivoted at a point beneath said wick, and means whereby upon transverse movement of said nger piece, said snuifer is swung downwardly toward the finger piece to expose the wick and said abradant wheel is actuated to project sparks onto the wick.

5. A lighter, comprising a receptacle having a' substantially right angled niche cut away adjacent one upper corner thereof, a fuel compartment occupying the space in the upper portion of said receptacle, opposite said niche, the lower portion of said receptacle being shaped to be received within the hand of the user, a wick extending from said fuel compartment through the upper portion of the vertical wall of said niche, an

abradant wheel having its axis located in said niche beneath said wick, a sparking metal piece interposed between said wick and said vertical wall of the niche, a snuifer member also located in said niche and adapted to seal said wick, a reciprocable finger piece also located in said cutaway corner of the receptacle and means Whereby upon movement of said nger piece said snuffer is moved toward the finger piece to expose the Wick and said abradant wheel is actuated to project sparks onto the wick.

6. A lighter comprising a receptacle having its top and sidewalls cut away adjacent one upper corner thereof and provided with a top wall which extends transversely across the top of the receptacle to said cut-away portion, a second transverse wall which underlies said cut-away portion, and a third substantially vertical wall which connects the two above mentioned transverse walls,the lower portion of said receptacle being shaped to be received within the hand of the user, a wick extending through the upper portion of said vertical wall into said cut-away portion, an abradant wheel above said second transverse wall and located in said cut-away portion of the receptacle and having its axis beneath said wick, means projecting through said vertical wall underneath the wick for holding a piece of sparking metal in contact with said sparking wheel, a snuifer member also located in said cut-away portion of the receptacle and adapted to seal'said Wick, a reciprocable finger piece also located in said cut-away corner of the receptacle and means whereby upon movement of said nger piece said snuffer is moved toward the finger piece, to expose the wick and said abradant wheel is actuated l to project sparks onto the wick.

' LOUIS V; ARONSON. 

